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Alexandria Office

2000 Duke Street

Suite 300
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 635-3300

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Tuesday, March 2, 2021

On Saturday, March 14, 2020, I finally surrendered to the reality that there was no avoiding the Coronavirus and that my daily life was about to change. In an instant, my business went from 95% face-to-face to a virtual business.

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

I just got a call saying that my Social Security number had been used to commit a financial crime in Texas and that I needed to press ‘1’ immediately to be connected with law enforcement. A bad call to get under any...

Monday, March 30, 2020

For the past few weeks, I've been bombarded with information about Coronavirus from local government agencies and from legitimate corporate sources with whom I do businesses. Slowly, but surely, the SCAMMERS AND FRAUDSTERS followed...

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Sometimes the struggle isn't knowing what to do, but rather getting organized and dedicating the time to do it. Read my story on how it took me 10-years to solve my health problem in only 90-days.

Monday, July 30, 2018

BEWARE of the aisle caps in the big box stores. These companies are on a mission to move the money from your wallet into their wallet. One way to combat the marketing genius of these stores is to stay on YOUR mission through the use of...

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Friday, June 8, 2018

During my first season on the high school track team, I had momentarily dropped out of a particularly difficult track practice and was standing on the side of the track. I leaned forward and gripped my knees as I gasped for air. My...

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

During the economic downturn in 2008, one of my longtime clients reached out to me to schedule an emergency financial review meeting. His employer just announced all employees would be taking a temporary 10% pay cut so they...

Thursday, March 1, 2018

For the past few weeks, I’ve been watching the bird feeder and thinking that my neighborhood had the hungriest birds on the planet. Every time we’d fill up the bird feeder, within a day the food was mostly gone. This...

Friday, February 23, 2018

Running is a positive habit I’ve been able to maintain for the past 12-years. In high school it was sprints, but as I got older I gravitated towards endurance running (mainly because that is what old dudes can do). :) Last year I...

Monday, February 12, 2018

This is common question during times of market volatility. The Wall Street prognosticators on television, on the Internet and in the print media love to share their opinions on this topic. But, they don’t know. The same thing is...

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

It is my fault. I could have been stronger in the moment, but last week – Amazon got me. When I was a kid growing up in the New York Tri-State area, most of the delicatessens and the convenience stores sold coffee in these blue...

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

The news media is reporting that in January 2018, many Americans will be seeing a larger amount of money in their paychecks. This is due to a decrease in the tax withholding that Payroll Departments employ on behalf of Federal and...

Monday, January 8, 2018

In 2003 I was meeting with a 35-year old client with an annual income of $150,000. During our cash flow discussion, I shared with him that I expected that by the time he was 50-years old that he’d be earning close to $250,000....

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Depending on where you work, its possible that up to 30% of Your Compensation is employee benefits.[i] For a hypothetical worker earning a $100,000 salary, their benefits package of health insurance, 401(k) match, long-term disability...

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM). The cynic in me wants to ignore it because it sounds like a false holiday used to promote and sell stuff. My experience says differently and I see it as an annual reminder for...

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

The following blog post is an excerpt from my new book "Healthy Money: Making a Successful Transition from Resident to Attending" Copies of the book are available (paperback and Kindle) on Amazon. A link to the book page is at the...

Monday, July 24, 2017

When I was 27, I worked for the Sprint Corporation selling land based long-distance phone and data services. Sitting in my cube one day, a thought hit me like a ton of bricks. I pushed with my legs hard and drove my wheeled chair into...

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Whenever I speak at a conference, during Q&A someone will ask me to recommend an app, website or a book that will help them become financially successful. Truthfully, I wish it were that simple, but odds are the website or book...

Friday, March 24, 2017

Towards the end of a financial review meeting with a young couple, I asked if they had any other questions. Making a joke, the husband asked, “Can we retire?!? They were a little caught off guard when I answered with, “Yes...

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Happy Holidays! This is the time of year when the personal financial success magazines all display catchy titles (like the title of my blog post) to get you to purchase their magazine. The reader is hoping to glean the big secret that...

Monday, September 26, 2016

While students sit in lectures, happy to be back at college, countless parents are sitting at kitchens table wondering how to pay for their child’s education. Here’s how crazy it’s become: Families spent an average of...

Monday, August 1, 2016

Through a speech he gave at the Verizon Center, Ted Leonsis taught me AWESOME experiences require BIG goals.

Monday, July 25, 2016

Dear Noah and Josephus, Congratulations on your accomplishments and your recent declaration of going professional. I’m a resident of the City of Alexandria and volunteer at TC Williams High School as part of the Academy of...

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

In August of 2011, I paid to travel to NYC to spend three days at a Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) conference at the Grand Hyatt New York with 600 other financial advisors from all over the country. It was at this conference that I...

Monday, June 13, 2016

Life in the DMV is expensive. According to marketwatch.com May 15, 2016 post by Catey Hill, life in the DMV is THE MOST expensive place to raise a family in America. Building and maintaining a systematic savings plan can be challenging...

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

First, a disclaimer. I did not go to law school. I'm not an Attorney, nor have I ever played one on television. The information below should be used as information only and to ask an Attorney before taking action on anything and...

Thursday, March 31, 2016

In the first two Godfather movies, there is a character named Tom Hagen who is the consigliere to the family. The word means counselor or adviser to the boss. This special adviser is a close, trusted friend and confidant. He is devoid...

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

There are two currencies in life: Money and Time. Both can dwindle quickly when not treated with respect. This is my story about respecting time through good health habits. When I was 34-years old, my doctor informed me my poor health...

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Imagine today is the first warm spring day of the year. The car windows are down and your favorite song is on the radio. While passing through an intersection (green light for you), you are broadsided by a man texting while driving....

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Many people start each year with reflecting upon the past year and making goals/plans for the New Year. A common resolution that makes the list for those that follow this annual ritual is some form of ‘Follow a Budget’ to get a handle...

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Dear Winner, Congratulations! You've hit the jackpot of all jackpots. Exciting, very exciting! Now, lets get back on the ground and think this through. This event has the potential to completely ruin your life. When word gets out that...

Sunday, January 3, 2016

This journey started the week of Thanksgiving and ended on Sunday, January 3, 2016. Over the last six weeks, I ran over 115 miles and burned over 16,500 calories during a combined 18 hours of workouts. My weight goal was 184 lbs and I...

Monday, December 14, 2015

We are twenty-three days out from my last blog post where I offered up the challenge of losing TWO POUNDS over SIX WEEKS. Sounds easy enough…until I suggested the six-weeks that straddle Thanksgiving and New Years! Since that day, I’ve...

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Physical Fitness Can Lead to Financial Fitness. How to Get an AWESOME start to 2016 by eliminating the need for one common New Year's Resolution!